Good news first: the Seattle Mariners did what they needed to do in Toronto — they flipped home-field advantage and sent this ALCS roaring back to T-Mobile Park with the home team in the driver's seat for Game 3.
The bad news? One of the arms Seattle trusts most to quiet a game, got loud in the worst way. George Kirby’s playoff metronome slipped, and the Blue Jays pounced.
They didn’t luck into it, either. Toronto walked in with a heater-first plan and treated Kirby’s fastball like a green light. They ambushed strike one, hunted elevation, and never let him breathe, turning his signature pitch into their primary swing path and forcing the Mariners to play uphill before the first round of garlic fries cooled.